1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a data processing method for the information processing apparatus wherein software processing is performed using a program and/or data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, an information processing apparatus performs software processing using required data (including a program for operating the apparatus) stored in a storage apparatus.
In an information processing apparatus of the type mentioned, the data stored in the storage apparatus cannot sometimes be used in software processing when a program suffers from a bug or by some other cause.
For example, in a multi-processor system, it is often the practice that a plurality of processors are integrated so that hardware and software resources are shared by them under an integrated operating system, and the storage apparatus for storing data is used such that data of programs and so forth to be used by the individual processors are allocated in the same space. Consequently, if a program to be used by a certain processor suffers from a bug, then data being used by another processor are sometimes damaged.
In this connection, it has been proposed, for example, to provide an information processing apparatus with a duplex hardware construction or to provide, in addition to a main storage apparatus, an auxiliary storage apparatus for backing up the main storage apparatus in order to enhance the reliability of data.
However, the information processing apparatus described above has a subject to be solved in that, in order to enhance the reliability of data, it is required to expand the hardware and this requires a high hardware cost.
Also it is a possible countermeasure to provide an accommodating apparatus which backs up and accommodates all data and/or programs. This accommodating apparatus, however, requires re-production of or amendment to system software when it becomes necessary to raise the reliability of data after operation of the system is started since the system is fixed.